Boise, Idaho (pop: 211,000) has long been known as a quiet, pious place. (The Mormon church says Idaho has the second-largest Latter-day Saints population outside Utah.) But a recent influx of high-tech jobs is gradually turning the Pacific Northwest town into an urban center, and it shares desirable qualities—a vibrant cultural scene, multiple universities, bike-friendly streets and close proximity to numerous adventure-sports options—with Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. Other perks include 240 days of sunlight per year, a median home price of $210,000 and more than 100 miles of singletrack that are rideable year-round. We asked local riders Carl Marcum (Team Joyride) and Darren Lightfield (Scott USA, '08 Idaho state Super D champion), and former resident Bill Christensen (ex-bike industry/ ex-LDS member) for the inside line.

MB: Say you're in Boise for the weekend and the riding is rained out. The next best option for fun is...?CM: We go to an indoor go-kart track called the Fast Lane (12048 West Franklin Rd.; fastlaneboise.com). It's pretty fun to get a rowdy bunch of mountain bikers together and race around the track. BC: You're more likely to not want to ride due to 100-plus degree heat. In which case, grab a tube and float the Boise River. If it does rain, go to Flicks (646 Fulton St.; theflicksboise.com), an indie-movie house where you can enjoy a beer or cup of coffee with your cinema.

MB: Acquiring a buzz is best accomplished at...?CM: When I go out at night, it's usually to ride urban trials on the [Boise State University] campus and in town. There always seems to be a good crowd at the Neurolux (113 N. 11th St.; neurolux.com). BC: Bar Gernika (202 S. Capitol Blvd.; bargernika.com) in the Basque Block is a favorite for food and beer. Dutch Goose (3515 State St.; dutchgoose.com) has $1 beers on Thursday. Or just go downtown (6th and W. Main; downtownboise.org) on any weekend night.

MB: It's a good idea to avoid...?BC: Stay away from The Torch (1826 W. Main; thetorchlounge.com); it's called a "strip club," but it's just girls dancing in bikinis as there is no nudity allowed in town. And if you've had even one or two [drinks], just take a taxi. Cops in Boise don't have a lot to do other than pull people over for the slightest reason, and at night they flock to downtown like geeks to yellow bracelets.

MB: A good place to nurse a hangover...?CM: Big City Coffee (1416 W. Grove St.) has good coffee, awesome scones, and muffins the size of small dogs. It's also right around the corner from George's Cycles (200 W. Broad St.; georgescycles.com).

MB: What's the best place to find spare parts?BC: George's and Idaho Mountain Touring (1310 W. Main; idahomountaintouring.com) are plenty capable, but I really like Tom at World Cycle (180 N. 8th St.; worldcycleboise.com). CM: Obviously, I think the best shop is my sponsor—Joyride Cycles (115 Garden St.—Hyde Park; joyride-cycles.com).

TRAIL BETAMB: When it's time to put down some knobby tracks, you point the tires at:CM: We just developed some new killer downhill shuttle trails at Bogus Basin ski area. There's also Sweet Connie, a really fun shuttle run that drops 2,500 feet from Bogus Basin back to the road, 7 miles below.

DL: Hard Guy is one of the more popular XC rides at the moment. It climbs 2,000 feet up to the nearby radio towers and then screams back down the other side. But the number of good XC trails in the foothills here is staggering.

CM: The Eagle Mountain Bike Park is a great place to spend the morning or afternoon training. It has dual-slalom and four-cross courses designed by Eric Carter. There's also two pump tracks, a growing skills park, three downhill runs and tons of fun cross-country trails.

Bonus Boise Basque Fact Boise's Treasure Valley is home to the second-largest ethnic Basque community in the United States (after Bakersfield, California). The next Basque Festival, known as Jaialdi, which is held only once every five years, will be celebrated in Boise from July 29 to August 1, 2010 (boisebasques.com).